Animated animals gone wild

Animated movies have always owned the box office. After years of classic Disney films, “Toy Story” kicked off the Pixar animation style that is full of imaginative imagery.

And aside from stellar design and bright colors, the other ingredient for animation success has to be the talking animal. Nothing tops speaking creatures with lovable personalities.

One of the films to take that formula and have lots of success was 2005’s “Madagascar,” and now comes its sequel “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.”

“Escape” follows four wild animals: Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith). While leaving the island Madagascar, their plane faces technical difficulties, forcing a quick landing in Africa. Coincidentally, they land on the same spot where Alex’s family lives.

It’s not the story or main characters that made this film stand out but the supporting cast members and their one-liners. A surprise show stealer, Sacha Baron Cohen uses his Borat voice to make every line he delivers funny. “30 Rock” all-star Alec Baldwin takes the role of the villain and voices it with pure sweetness.

The penguins here fall into an entirely different category than the typical main animals.

They are small, adorable and look harmless, but they are crazy. They go from flying planes and stealing cars to dating dolls. It’s OK if the penguins like to date, but it would have been nice for them to at least date something with a pulse. This unpredictable species is all over the place, talking trash, pulling out knives and making deals with the monkeys who are on strike.

“Escape” succeeds because it’s almost too easy to forget these creatures are animals. They talk, walk, argue, fight and cry.

Although it lacks a solid plot, “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” is an enjoyable film that includes loads of laughs. It makes it easy to get lost in the animated world and pretend you’re a child. It’s not the best animated film to come down the pike, but it’s definitely well worth the price of admission.